Another one of my old studios has bitten the dust.
I feel like I can jinx a place just by painting it. I have been observing the start of the
demolition of the Port Operations Harbour Tower
in Millers Point.
Love it or loathe it, the Tower was one of the last vestiges of Barangaroo's former life as a working port.

The heart and soul of the former 'Hungry Mile' has been ripped out and replaced with machines.
Literally.

Once the 'mushroom cap' at the top of the Tower was
fully removed, the concrete stem below it was eaten away by robotic
excavators from the top down. Just another portent of the world envisioned by Isaac Asimov in his book “I, Robot. Technology asserts its robotic grip whether you like it or not. Progress is so impersonal.
Eaten by robots- what a way to go!
So very Dr Who. "Exterminate, exterminate!"

Meanwhile paint peels off surrounding terraces awaiting their inevitable gentrification. The Hotel Palisade opposite has completed its journey from early opening waterfront dive to hipster hub, while retaining some of the trappings of its colourful past.

Artist's Statement

I paint the damaged, derelict, doomed and disappeared.Through my art I have explored many industrial sites in Sydney that were off limits to the public - Cockatoo Island; Eveleigh Railway Workshops; industrial sites such as Pyrmont and the old AGL Gasworks at Mortlake;the wharves of Barangaroo, Woolloomooloo, Walsh Bay, Glebe Island and White Bay.The astounding rate of Sydney’s recent development has both fascinated and repelled me. My challenge is painting to an unknown but inevitable time limit as buildings are demolished as fast as I can paint them. I have an uncanny instinct for selecting subjects that are about to vanish.Unlike most artists I usually paint on site to capture the elusive spirit of place. Despite the challenges of working outdoors and distractions from onlookers, I set up my easel by the side of the road, on windswept rooftops and demolition sites.Thank you for visiting my site.